The Death of Me
by xxwretchedandivinexx
Summary: Claire is a guitarist for Asking Alexandria and she is dating the lead singer, Danny Worsnop. But when Danny won't stop his wild and crazy lifestyle, Claire turns to Ben for comfort. Will Danny find out about his bandmates' escapades? Or will he continue on his path to destruction, clueless?
1. Chapter 1

INFORMATION:

Name: Claire Matheson

Age: 21 Hair: Long, brown, straight, scene

Eyes: Brown Body Type: Slender/In shape

Style: "scene"/"rocker"

Backstory: Born in Chicago. Both of her parents are in prison for drugs, among other things, and she grew up in multiple foster homes. Now, she's the guitar player for Asking Alexandria and dating the lead singer, Danny Worsnop. Will their pasts and presents collide to make tragedy for them, or can they move past it all and make it work?

CHAPTER 1:

The air was hot and humid; we were in Florida. Asking Alexandria were on tour; I was the guitar player, up there beside Ben. There was a huge crown and we all had sweat pouring from us, but it was totally worth it. We all loved what we did.

We finished our set and headed backstage, Danny wrapping me in an embrace and kissing me. I tasted alcohol on his breath and pushed him away. He had promised me that he was done drinking.

"Is something wrong?" Danny asked me.

"You promised me no more drinking," I replied firmly.

Danny sighed. "Can we talk about this after the signing?"

"No, I want to talk about it now."

"What do you want from me? So, what? I had a drink."

"That's not the point," I replied.

"Guys, I'm sorry, but we have a lot of fans out there," Ben said, his sweaty, curly hair hanging over his eyes. Danny walked away without another word. Ben looked at me apologetically. I shrugged. It wasn't his fault Danny was being an ass.

The fans were all just as sweaty as we were. I'm sure they were all just as exhausted, but everyone was still drunk on adrenalinehe thought"

"But it's a lost cause? But Danny doesn't need my help?" Claire replied snidely, cutting me off.

"That's not what I was going to say," I replied quietly.

Claire moved aside and I went inside her room. "I'm sorry, Ben," she said. "None of this is your fault." Claire leaned against the wall near the door. "I'm just so sick of trying to help someone who doesn't want it."

"So stop trying," I told her. "Danny isn't going to do anything he doesn't want to. You know it, and I know it." By this time, I realized that I had unintentionally moved closer to Claire. We were inches apart, but I didn't move. She was my best friends girlfriend. So why was I leaning in to kiss her? And why wasn't she resisting my lips on hers?


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2:

INFORMATION:

Name: Abbi Jones

Age: 19 Hair: Blue, long

Eyes: Blue Body Type: In shape/Slender

Style: "punk"/"rocker"

CLAIRE:

I said goodnight to Ben and closed the door after him. What had just happened? You just kissed your boyfriend's best friend, idiot. Shit. Technically, he had made the first move, but I hadn't stopped him. Instead, I had kissed him back. Some girlfriend I was. I just hoped no one else found out about it.

The next day, I found Danny on the tour bus. He was sober and drinking a Coke, humming the tune of Don't Pray For Me. I felt awkward around him, and he wasn't making eye contact with me, either. Feeling terrible about what had happened with Ben the night before, but also still angry about Danny's escapades, I decided I'd spend the day in my bunk until we reached the venue.

"Claire, I want to talk to you," Danny said as I walked past him. I stopped, my heart beating out of my chest. Had he found out about Ben and I? Had Ben told him? I took a deep breath and went to sit with him. I didn't say anything, so he spoke first. "I'm sorry about yesterday."

Mentally, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Which part?" I asked. "The part where you got drunk? Or the part where you did cocaine with some random groupie? Or maybe"

"But what?"

I didn't answer her. Instead, I pulled her to me, my lips on hers. I thought for sure that she would resist, but one of her hands went to my waist; the other was tangled in my hair. My hands moved up her shirt; she pulled away from me long enough to take it off and throw onto the floor. And then my shirt was off and we were kissing againthank God.

"Shit," I whispered, running for the closet.

"Uhh...hold on!" Claire called, pulling her shirt on. I heard the door to the room open just as I saw my discarded shirt still lying on the floor in the open. Damn. "Danny, what are you doing here? I thought you went out with the guys."

"Have you seen Ben?" Danny asked.

"No, I haven't. I thought he went with you guys." Claire's voice was shaking.

"He said he was going to stay in and watch a movie tonight. Can I come in? I want to talk to you about something."

"Uhmm..Sure." I saw Claire quickly pick up my shirt and shove it into her duffel bag. She sat down on the edge of the bed. "What did you want to talk about?"

Danny pulled a chair up and sat in front of her. "I met a girl at the bar," he said. I bit my lip. Was he breaking up with her? If so, what did that mean for us? Claire and I...Danny and I..the band...

"A girl?" Claire asked.

"Yeah, some fan with blue hairyour girlfriend."

"I don't know what to believe."

I stood and walked over to the door. I opened it and gestured for Danny to leave. "Well let me know when you decide."

Danny stood and left without saying another word. I locked the door behind him and told Ben to come back out. For a minute, we just looked at each other. Ben was still shirtless, so I grabbed his ripped tee and handed it to him wordlessly. I so wanted to kiss him again, but I wasn't sure what to do at this point.

I frowned. Ben moved as if he were going to touch my face, but let his hand drop back to his side. Apparently, he wasn't sure what to do, either. He pulled his shirt back on and attempted to smile.

"I think you should go," I said. "I need to think." Ben nodded and left me alone.

DANNY:

"Guys, this is Abbi," I said, introducing Abbi to the band. I had decided to let her come on tour with us. After all, she had told me some vital information, and helped me choose how to go about dealing with it. Claire and I were still at odds and she didn't look too happy to see Abbi. Neither did Ben, for that matter. Curious. "She's coming on tour with us."

"Why?" Claire asked. "So she can cause more problems?"

"Someone's hostile," Abbi said with a grin. "Angry that I exposed you?"

"Exposed her for what?" Sam asked.

"This is ridiculous," interrupted Ben before Abbi could answer. "You can't just invite anyone you want on tour with us."

"Fine, we'll take a vote." I winked at Abbi. "Who has a problem with Abbi joining us, raise your hand." I watched as Claire and Ben raised their hands. Of course. I was starting to believe Abbi more and more. "Majority rules. Abbi, you can have the bunk above me and Claire."

After everyone had dispersed to do their own thing and we were on the road again, I sat beside Claire, who was reading a book on the sofa. She didn't look up when I sat down, just ignored me. I put my hand on her knee, which she brushed off. She wasn't going to make this easy on me.

"You're angry," I said.

"No way; how'd you guess?" she replied sarcastically.

"Care to explain why?"

Claire closed her book and glared at me. "Gee, I don't know. Maybe it has to do with the fact that you invited some random fan on tour with us. Maybe it's because she's a chick, and she got you and I into a fight. Or maybe I'm just PMSing."

"I'm guessing all of the above," I muttered. "Look, she didn't cause us to get into a fight. She just told me that she thought you and Ben had a thing for each other. If you don't, then there's nothing to worry about is there?"

"Just leave me alone." Claire got up and went our bunk, leaving on the sofa alone.

ABBI:

I glanced back at Danny. I was sitting at the table, listening to music. Well, I had my earphones in, but my music was paused. I had heard everything that had just happened between Danny and Claire. I smiled. Claire was on the fast track out of here. And I was working my way in. I wanted Danny. I wanted Claire's place in the band. And I was going to get it.

Sooner, rather than later.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3: CLAIRE: After that night's show and signing, I went to talk to Ben before we got back on the road. I noticed Abbi watching us, but I didn't really care. It wasn't like we were going to screw right there on the asphalt. Danny and I still weren't on speaking terms, but he and Abbi seemed to have a lot to talk about. Good for them. Because I was seriously sick of all this shit. Danny. Abbi. The drama. If it weren't for the sake of the band, I would have left already. "Ben, can we talk?" I asked him. He was leaning against a building, smoking a cigarette. "As long as you don't mind being watched," Ben replied, glancing across the stretch of pavement to where Abbi and Danny were standing, their eyes on us. I rolled my eyes. "I don't give a shit about them right now." I lowered my voice. "What are we going to do about her? If something doesn't give soon, I'm not sure I want to be a part of Asking anymore." "I know what you mean. She watches me constantly, always making smart-ass comments." Ben looked me in the eyes. "What about you and Danny?" "What about us? We aren't speaking. It's like Abbi is his girlfriend, instead of me." "To be fair, you stopped talking to him." "To be fair, he brought that—" I pointed back to Abbi. "on tour with us." "True. So what do you plan to do about them?" Ben dropped the remainder of his cigarette on the ground and stepped on it. "I plan to do exactly what they are accusing me of," Ben cocked an eyebrow. "If you don't mind helping me, of course. You'll probably lose Danny as a friend." "I think we've both already lost Danny." "So you're in?" "Hell yeah." A few hours later, I asked Danny if I could speak with him alone. I almost thought he'd refuse; he and Abbi had been attached at the hip as of late. Surprisingly, he agreed and led me to the back room, which was now empty. It was pretty late, almost two in the morning. Everyone else was either asleep or hanging out in their bunks. I closed the door and sat down on the couch; Danny sat in a chair across from me. He seemed pretty comfortable. I wondered if he knew what was coming. "Danny, I think we need to break up," I said. "Abbi told me you were going to do this," he replied. Abbi, Abbi, Abbi. Fuck. I stood up; Danny stood, too. "Oh, did she? Well, did she tell you that Ben and I are together?" Danny didn't look as if he had been expecting that. At least not so soon. "You're dating my best friend now?" "Yes. At least Ben cares about me. He doesn't go out and get drunk every damn night. He doesn't do fucking drugs and bring random groupies on tour with us just because he's mad at me!" "I brought Abbi because I wanted to make you jealous! I thought maybe you'd realize that what was going on with you and Ben wasn't right!" "Whatever. You brought her with us because you thought I was fucking Ben. And I wasn't. But I can assure you, I can't wait to do exactly what you two idiots have accused us of." "Where the fuck is Ben now? He sure as hell isn't in here with you," Danny yelled. He opened the door and called for Abbi and Ben to come where we were. A few seconds later, the door was closed again and the room was twice as full. Danny turned to Ben, who had come to stand beside me. "Is that how you're going to treat your best fucking friend?" "Danny, you did this," Ben told him, not wavering. "Danny didn't do anything," Abbi interjected. "It was the two of you." "Why don't you just shut up?" I said. "You've done enough already." Abbi scoffed. "All I did was bring what you two were doing to Danny's attention. He already had his suspicions." "No, you put shit in his head," I swear, I was going to smack the hell out of her. "Ben and I weren't doing anything." "Sure, you weren't." "Can you guys keep it down!" James called. "Some of us are trying to sleep!" Ben sighed. "We can talk about this tomorrow." He took my hand and led me to his bunk. I gladly climbed in beside him. JAMES: What the fuck? CLAIRE: The next morning, Danny called a 'band meeting' in the back room. He and Abbi were holding hands, which I had already known was coming. Ben and I sat on the couch together, his arm around me. James was beside Ben and Sam was on the arm of the couch. Danny and Abbi remained standing. What was this about? Abbi looked extra slutty today, wearing a skimpy tank-top and cut-off shorts that I was sure showed a lot more than I wanted to see when she bent over. Ew. "Guys, I have an issue we need to address," Danny said. He pointed to Ben and I. "As I'm sure you've heard, Sam and James, Ben and Claire are together now." "Yeah, so?" Sam said. "You and Abbi are together. What's that go to do with us?" "We don't think Claire should be in the band anymore," Abbi said with a smile. I stood up, Ben standing and holding my arm. Probably to make sure I didn't do something I would regret. But pummeling Abbi wouldn't be something to make me remorseful. "Woah, wait. We?" I said. "Last I checked, you weren't a part of this band, Abbi." "She has a point," James said. He and Sam were now standing, too. "You're just some groupie. Danny will grow tired of you and throw you away, just like he's done a thousand times to a thousand different girls." Abbi had a smug expression on her face. Danny spoke up, "Think about it guys," he turned to James and Sam. "Claire is causing a lot of trouble. She slept with Ben while we were together." "No I didn't!" But Danny continued on as if I hadn't spoken. "That stunt could have broken up the band altogether. I say we terminate the problem and get back on track," Danny finished. "Okay, so Abbi comes along and tells you that Ben and I have a thing," I said. "and you believe her and say I'm ruining the band. Well, how about the fact that sometimes you're so fucked up, you can't even perform?" "Another point," said James. "Besides, we're in the middle of a tour. Who's going to take my place?" I asked. Abbi raised her hand and said, "I am." That was it for me. I jerked my arm free of Ben and punched Abbi square in the face. She didn't miss a beat; she clawed at me, scratching me on my right cheek. I had her by the throat, honestly trying to kill her, by the time the guys broke us up. "Well, clearly, one of you has to go," Sam said. "I can't say that I'd be able to choose Abbi over Claire. Claire has been here since the beginning." Ben was inspecting my cheek. He said almost absently, "And if Claire goes, I go." "James?" Danny said. He sounded less sure of himself than he had originally. "Ah, fuck," said James. "Dammit. I agree with Danny." So much for a vote. It was three-to-three. How were they going to settle it now. The whole band was at odds. With a show only a few hours away, they needed to figure this out quick. "Fine. Abbi knows all the songs," Danny said. "I say we let her play tonight's show and see how she does." "I'm game for that," Sam said. James said, "Me too." "Fine," I said. "Why didn't you play the show?" We were at the signing; I had made it clear that Abbi was not taking my place for this. These were fans that I had been connecting with for years. She wasn't just going to swoop in and take everything from me. Right now, there was a group of fans around me; I was signing autographs. It had been a boy with bright blue eyes and green hair who had asked the question. "It's complicated," I replied. "You guys aren't going to break up, are you?" Another fan asked, a girl with white hair and a nose ring. "I'm not going to lie to you guys: things are definitely up in the air right now," I told them. "But whatever happens with Asking, I love all of you guys and I know this won't be the end of me." I smiled. They smiled, too, but I could tell the idea of the band breaking up was something they did not like. Ben came up behind me, wrapping his arm around my waist. He whispered, "Danny is telling fans that Abbi is replacing you." "Wait, so are you guys together now?" the boy with green hair asked, motioning to Ben and I. "Yeah," I said and walked away toward where Danny was standing. Abbi was with him, of course. They were surrounded by fans; Abbi was even signing autographs, a big grin on her face. This was ridiculous. "Why the hell are you telling these people that she is replacing me?" I asked Danny. Everyone looked from me to him. My face was hurting from where that bitch had scratched me—and I was willing to bet her black eye and the bruises on her neck weren't too comfortable, either—and I just wanted to scream. "Because she is," Danny replied smugly. "I already talked to Sam and James." I felt the whole world fall away from me. I couldn't believe this was happening. Before I passed out or killed someone, I went to the bus and started packing my things. Ben came on a few minutes later and wrapped his arms around me. I started sobbing and sank down onto the floor, dragging Ben with me. After what felt like forever, but could only have been a few minutes, I looked up at Ben. "You have to stay," I said. I didn't want Ben to lose everything, too. I cared about him. And him leaving just because I had to...it wasn't fair. "I don't want to stay if you're not here," Ben replied, wiping a tear from my face. "They've all gone crazy." He smiled a little. "Danny hates me; Abbi hates me. I don't know what's wrong with James and Sam." I kissed him lightly. "I don't want you to lose everything because of me." "Don't you understand? You are my everything. You may have just noticed me," Ben laughed. "but I've loved you for a while." I felt myself start to tear up again and decided to put that anger and sadness and passion into something worth it. I put my hands on either side of his face and brought his lips down on mine. He pulled me to him, so close I thought we were going to meld into one. Ben pulled away and helped me to my feet. "Let's get out of here," he said with a grin. 


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4: CLAIRE: Ben and I packed our things and walked off the bus to a crowd of fans. The myriad of people was buzzing; everyone was wondering what was going on, or what was going to happen next. Danny and Abbi were standing just in front of the bus; Sam and James were off to the side, looking guilty. The fans appeared to have forgotten about autographs and were just focused on the drama at hand. I hadn't planned on speaking to either Danny or Abbi before leaving, but Ben was leading me over to them. What could he possibly have to say to them? "I have one question," Ben said. "Wait, are you leaving, too?" Danny asked. "I didn't think you were serious." "Of course I'm serious." Danny glanced down at Abbi, who shrugged. "Well, what do you expect me to do about a guitar player?" Ben scoffed. "I don't give a fuck. I told you I was leaving if you made Claire leave." "Claire did this to herself," Abbi put her two cents in. Ugh. "No one gives a shit about your opinion," I said. "Come on, Ben. Let's go." "Hold on. I'm not done here." I gaped at him. "What more could you possibly have to say to them?" I asked. Ben ignored me. "I can't believe you ruined our friendship over something this stupid," he said to Danny, poking his finger at Danny's chest. "And I'm not just talking about your and mine friendship; I mean all of us—me, you, Claire, James and Sam." "You and Claire ruined our friendships when you decided to do me wrong," Danny replied, feeling really hurt for the first time. "And you couldn't even tell me the truth about it." "Okay, fine. You wanna know the truth?" Oh, God. "The truth is that we kissed. That's it." "How many times?" Abbi asked. "Twice, I think." Abbi glanced over at Danny. "You guys can go now," Danny said calmly and headed for the bus. Abbi smirked at Ben and I. "Thanks." "For what?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. "For making it too easy to get rid of you," Abbi snarled and left Ben and I standing in a crowd of confused and annoyed fans. BEN: "For making it too easy to get rid of you," Abbi snarled and left Claire and I standing in a crowd of confused and annoyed fans. "That bitch planned this," I said. "Hey, Claire," a fan said from behind us. We turned and saw a guy with purple streaks in his hair. "Are you going to kick her ass? You totally should." "No," Claire said and started making her way out of the crowd. I followed her. CLAIRE: I walked away from the crowd of fans, across the street and around the corner. I didn't realize I was crying until I glanced up at my reflection in the window of an abandoned shop. There was graffiti all of the outside and some of the glass was broken out. This just made me homesick. I longed to be back in the country, surrounded by trees. Ben came up behind me and took me into his arms. For a while, we just stood there, me crying and Ben holding me. People were staring, but we didn't care. We had both just lost everything. Our friends, our passion, our living. All because we had had feelings for one another and had been stupid enough to act on them. And Abbi had been smart enough to realize it. And diabolical enough to tell everyone. Eventually, Ben pulled away and made me look at him. He wiped my tears away and tucked my hair behind my ear. "Love, you have got to hang in there," he said. I sniffled and fought the urge to cry again. "She took everything from me," I replied, my voice cracking. "Hey. Look at me." I made myself look at him. "We are together. We will make it. With or without them." DANNY: "Maybe I shouldn't have made them leave," I said. Sam, James, Abbi and I were all sitting in the back room. Everyone was tense, except Abbi. "Of course you should have made them leave," Abbi said. "Look how much they've hurt you." "Has anyone else noticed that we're now short a guitar player?" James said. "What are we going to do?" I asked them. "I really fucked everything up." Sam said, "Well, first, we should probably call our manager and tell him what happened. Maybe he'll know what to do." "Good idea." Apparently, our manager knew a guy in town and had him join the band. He was skinny, kind of lanky, with shoulder-length dark hair. "Hi, I'm Cam," he said, shaking our hands one by one. 


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5: CLAIRE: "So, what are we going to do now?" I asked Ben. We were on our way to the airport, not really sure of where we were going. There was the option of returning home, but that didn't sound too fun. Like me, Ben still wanted to tour. Unfortunately, Ben and I weren't enough to be a whole band. "Do you think we can get a few more people and start a new band?" I asked him. The cab driver kept looking back at us; I suspected he recognized us. He was young and pretty attractive. "I don't know," Ben said, sighing and running a hand through his hair. "Do you want to start a new band?" I took Ben's hand in mine. "I just want to be with you." I smiled. Ben kissed me lightly. "Let's do it." CAM: I looked slowly from one member of Asking Alexandria to the next. Of course, I knew who they were, aside from the new chick. Danny was dressed in jeans and a flannel; James was dressed in jeans and a ripped off tee, as was Sam; Abbi was wearing shorts and a tank top. "Well, it's nice to have you in the band," Danny said and lead Abbi over to the couch. "Thanks," I replied half-heartedly. I didn't really feel comfortable here. I knew I was just a replacement, and they didn't know me, or really like me yet. Sam came over and handed me a beer. "Dude, just make yourself comfortable," he said. "The next show is tomorrow." I smiled. This was going to be a long tour. ABBI: I slid out of Danny's bunk, being sure not to wake him. Lucky for me, he wasn't a light sleeper, because getting out that bunk wasn't easy sometimes. I was really thirsty, so I was going to get something to drink, until I noticed Cam sitting at the booth, seeming...not happy. Grabbing a water, I sat across from him. "Why so glum, Chum?" I asked him. Cam glanced up at me as if he'd just noticed me. "Oh, it's nothing," he replied. I cocked a brow. "Hey, you can tell me what's up." Sighing, Cam took a drink of his own water. "I just feel like the band isn't ready to accept me." "Of course they're not," I told him. He stared me as if to say, Gee, thanks for all your help. "I mean, they're probably just not sure about you yet. We haven't heard you play or anything; you kind of just got thrown into this." "Well, don't worry, I know all the songs," Cam said. I smiled and put my hand on his; he didn't move. "Of course you do. And I trust you to do a great job tomorrow." I took my water and headed back to bed with a smile. CLAIRE: "Hey, Ben," I said. Ben turned to look at me and painted a big streak down his face. I burst out laughing. We were supposed to be painting signs, advertising our auditions for the new band. Unfortunately for Ben, I wasn't in the mood to be serious. Ben smiled mischeviously and held up his paintbrush as if it were a weapon. My eyes widened and I tried to run, but Ben was too quick. He grabbed me and started painting all over me. When he finally let go, I smiled and pretended to get back to work. As soon as he turned his back to me, I grabbed up the bucket of paint and dumped it on his head. "What the fuck?!" Ben exclaimed. For a second, I thought he was angry, until he wrapped his arms around me and started rubbing paint on me as well. I screamed and we both fell to the floor, laughing. I was lying on top of him, wiping paint from his face. He had his hands clasped behind my back. "I love you," Ben said. "Oh, really?" I replied. "Then you won't mind me going to take a shower." I kissed him and stood to go shower. The whole room was a mess, but that could wait. Ben wrapped his hands around my waist, kissing my neck. "Only if I can join you," he whispered. I giggled and led him to the shower. "I think we picked the right guys," I said to Ben. We had finally gotten around to our auditions a couple days later and we had chosen three really talented guys. Ben poked my side. "You chose them all," he said with a grin. "Right, so if we fail, it's all my fault?" "Exactly," Ben kissed my cheek and I smiled. Suddenly, James crashed through the door and ran over to Ben and I. "Guys! It's Danny!" James said, gasping from running. "What about him?" I asked, my heart racing. "He overdosed; he's in the hospital." 


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6: CLAIRE: I hadn't realized how much I really still cared for Danny until I saw him, lying in the hospital bed, wires and tubes attached to him. It was a grim sight, and I was trying to hard not to break down and cry. I could tell Ben was trying just as hard. After all, Danny had been his best friend only about a week earlier. Being at the hospital, surrounded by Asking Alexandria—old and new members—was a little awkward. Abbi kept staring at me, which I tried to ignore. I didn't want to fight with her right now, no matter how much better it might make me feel. The new guy, whatever his name was, just looked as if he felt out of place. We were in the lobby when I heard Abbi whispering to James. The nurses had told us that Danny could only have one visitor at a time, since there were so many of us now. Sam was in his room now, while the rest of us waited our turn. "Why did you invite Ben and Claire?" Abbi whispered to James angrily. "They have no business here." "Yeah, they do," James replied, in our defense. "They were a part of this band. Danny is still important to them." "Didn't seem like Danny was important to them when they were going behind his back," Abbi said out loud. Ben put his hand on mine, a silent reminder to be civil if I wanted to get to see Danny. "Abbi, please shut up," I said nicer than I would have preferred. "Claire," Abbi said my name as if it were poison. "you know it's true. What kind of friends do what you two did?" I sighed and walked away, before I did something I would regret. Ben was going to come after me, but I told him I just wanted to be alone for a bit. BEN: "What's your problem, Abbi?" I asked her after Claire had left. "Can't you just let it go? For now, at least?" Abbi smiled at me. "No, I can't," she said. "You don't belong here anymore." "If I recall, you're the one who started all this." Abbi laughed sarcastically. "I started this? You and Claire are the ones who started it, when you decided it would be a good idea to go behind Danny's back." "Don't sit there and act like it wasn't your plan to get us kicked out all along." James had a confused expression on his face. "Wait, is that true, Abbi?" he asked. "Of course it's not true!" Abbi replied defensively. "I know Claire and I were wrong," I said. "But Abbi escalated it and blew this whole thing out of proportion." CLAIRE: I sat at an empty table in the cafeteria. Being alone was what I needed right now. Everything was wrong. Ben and I were supposed to be a part of Asking; Danny was supposed to be getting sober; Abbi and that new guy weren't supposed to even be here. I laid my head on my arms and sighed. It was going to be a long day. Eventually, I got a coffee and went back to the waiting room. This time, Abbi was gone to see Danny. Ben was sitting silently, waiting for me; James, Cam and Sam were talking animatedly about something that probably wouldn't have interested me. I took a seat beside Ben and laid my head on his shoulder; he put his arm around me and kissed the top of my head lightly. "Are you okay?" Ben asked me a few minutes later. I pulled away and looked at him. Suddenly, I wasn't so sure about this relationship, or about the new band. I could feel myself getting ready to cry, but Abbi came and told me that Danny was asking for me. Without another word, I stood and started toward his room. Danny's room was just as white as the rest of the hostpital. The walls were white, as was the floor and the sink. The sheets were white and the curtain that was open to reveal Danny, lying in bed, was white. Danny was sitting up now, sipping a small carton of orange juice. He smiled grimly when he saw me. Slowly, I walked over to his bed and just stood there for a second, unsure of what to do. Then, I couldn't take it any longer and wrapped my arms around him. He winced a little at first, but then he put down is orange juice and hugged me tightly. "I'm so sorry," I sobbed into his shoulder. "Danny, I'm sorry." "Claire," Danny whispered. "It's okay. I'm sorry, too." I pulled away then. "Sorry for what?" Wiping my eyes with the sleeves of Ben's jacket that I was wearing, I grabbed a tissue from the box on the table beside me. "You didn't do anything." "Claire, I promised you over and over again that I was going to stop the drugs and the drinking. I lied to you and pushed you away." Sighing, I sat on the edge of the bed and took Danny's hand in mine. "Danny, what Ben and I did...We're adults. We know the difference between right and wrong. What we did was wrong. If I didn't want to be with you, I should have told you." "Why didn't you?" Danny asked me. I swallowed hard. "Because I still wanted to be with you. I just—I was hurt and confused and I didn't know how to help you anymore." "And now?" I hesitated a second, and then I was kissing him. It felt good. I loved Danny, and I had honestly missed this. Until Ben walked in. 


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7: CLAIRE: "Claire?" Ben said, the hurt plain in his voice. I turned to see him standing just inside the doorway. "I was just coming to see if you wanted something to eat, but you're clearly busy." Ben turned and left. I looked helplessly at Danny. "Go after him," Danny said. "Tell him how you feel. If you want to be with me, I'll get clean, whatever you want. If you want to be with Ben, I'll understand. He deserves a girl like you." I nodded and left to go find Ben. SAM: I watched as Ben stormed out of Danny's room and headed for the nearest exit. That couldn't be a good sign. CLAIRE: "Ben, wait!" I called as we exited the hospital. I had had to run to catch up to him, and now we were outside in the pouring rain. "I'm sorry!" Ben and I were the only two people out in this weather, which was good, because otherwise, I'm sure people would have been staring at us like we were crazy. Ben stopped and turned to face me. "Why were you kissing him?" he asked me. He sounded lost and confused. I was confused, too. I loved both Ben and Danny and now I didn't know what to do. I didn't know who I wanted to be with. Or what was going to happen to either band. Everything was up to me, and I wasn't sure I could take the pressure. "Answer me!" Ben exclaimed. "I don't know!" "I thought you loved me." "I love both of you, Ben. I can't help it. I don't know what to do." I moved so that I was right in front of him. "Please give me some time to figure this out." For a minute, Ben just stared at me. Then, he replied, "No. I'll make it easy for you. I'm done. Be with Danny." "Ben—" "Goodbye, Claire." Ben turned and walked away, leaving me in the pouring rain alone. When I got back to the waiting room, everyone was crowded around a doctor. I couldn't hear what anyone was saying, and I was soaking wet, so I just sat down until they were finished talking. The doctor walked away to presumably get back to work, and everyone else just turned and stared at me. I knew how I must look. Eyes swollen from crying, soaking wet and just a mess. I sniffled and asked, "What's going on? What'd the doc say?" Abbi was the one who spoke. "Danny can come home in a couple days." Good to know this whole ordeal hadn't changed her attitude. "That's a good thing, right?" I asked them. "We're still on tour. We need him now." Abbi said, crossing her arms over her chest. I stood up. "I hate to be the one to break it to you, but Danny's health is more important than the tour." "And what about the fans?" she asked snidely. "The fans will understand," I told her. As I turned to head toward Danny's room, James asked, "Where's Ben?" "I don't know," I said and went to see Danny. BEN: The rain was coming harder than before and I was drenched. I considered stopping and getting some coffee or something, waiting until the rain slowed, but I wasn't in the mood to deal with people right now. Instead, I went to the park and sat on a bench. I had given Claire my jacket, so all I had on was a ripped off Skid Row tee, which was clinging to me. I didn't care. This is what you get for taking your best friend's girl in the first place. I thought. Now, Claire was back at the hospital with Danny and all of our friends, while I was alone in the park, in the pouring rain. I laid back on the bench, closing my eyes to the world and letting the rain splash on my face. I wasn't sure where I was going to go from here. I supposed Claire would probably join back with Asking Alexandria, though I didn't know who would have to leave. Claire and I had already created a new band, which I was now in charge of. I knew that I didn't want to see Claire or Danny, or any of the others, really. I would call tomorrow to make sure Danny was okay, and then I'd be on my own. No, I wouldn't be on my own. I had a new band. And we were going to be far greater than Asking. I smiled. 


	8. Epilogue

EPILOGUE: Six months later... CLAIRE: I smiled down at Danny. He was on one knee, holding offering me his heart, along with the ring in his hand. Of course, I was going to accept. I loved this man. But maybe I should backtrack a little... Five months earlier... CLAIRE: "Have any of you heard from Ben?" I asked the rest of the band. It had been nearly a month since any of us had heard from him. Things had changed a lot since our split and Danny's release from the hospital. I had taken my place back in the band; everyone had caught onto Abbi's game and she was gone for good. Cam seemed to still be deciding if he wanted to be a part of Asking. I wasn't sure why he didn't like us, but I could tell he didn't. Danny had totally kicked his drug habit; he didn't even drink anymore. I was so proud of him. We were dating again, and things were going great. We still weren't ready to go on tour, though. Honestly, we had to be sure that Cam woulnd't ditch us mid-way...and we really wanted Ben back, no matter how awkward it would be at first. "No, we haven't," James said. "I saw online yesterday that his band broke up, though." "That's terrible," I replied. I had to admit, though, I wasn't as unhappy about that as I probably should have been. I decided to go outside and call him. We were at the studio now, trying to get started on recording a new album, but it just wasn't the same without Ben there. He answered on the fourth ring, right before I hung up. "Hey, Ben," I said nervously. "How are you?" Ben sighed. "Not that good," he said. "How're you guys?" "We're good. We miss you." My heart was pounding in my chest; I was so afraid of what he was going to say next. Would he be angry? Sad? Happy? I didn't know. Ben sighed again. "I miss you guys, too." I smiled. "Listen, Cam's thinking of leaving the band, and honestly, we can't do anything until we're sure he won't leave...So why don't you just come back? Cam can leave the band, like I'm sure he wants to, and we can have everything kind of back to normal..?" "Okay. I'll come back to the band," Ben said. I leaned back against the building, grinning. Things would finally be okay again. We'd finally have our friend back. Present Day... CLAIRE: "Yes, I'll marry you," I told Danny. He grinned, put the ring on my finger and kissed me deeply. As for Ben, he had met a girl named Samantha a few months earlier, and he really seemed to be in love. We were all really happy for him. I was just glad that things between were good and that he could be happy with someone he loved. Cam left the band happily when Ben returned. He said something about us all being too crazy for him to deal with. I could understand that, but things had definitely calmed down a lot since Abbi had left. Through all of the stuff that had happened, I had learned a few things: One, you should always believe in those you love, and never give up on them; two, don't date your ex-boyfriend's best friend, who is also a band member..things can get pretty crazy; three, sometimes it's a good thing when shitty stuff happens, but I'm happy that things are finally looking up. Things are finally back to normal. We're finally a band again. 


End file.
